Let There Be Books

Hi Friends! I am back with yet another romance review. This book was the buddy read for the Romance-A-Thon that took place from June 22-28, and I just finished it today (it took me almost six days to read.. way too long) because this book was very meh for me (which I will explain further on).  If I Never Met You  by Mhairi McFarlane follows Laurie, who just went through a break-up with her boyfriend of 18 years (yes, you read that correctly) who works at the same law firm as her. To make matters worse, she finds out that he was having an affair and got this woman pregnant and is starting a family with them when he was so against it with her. In comes Jamie, another lawyer at the firm, who has a playboy status. The two get stuck in an elevator, leaving the office conveniently, and decide to come up with this deal to fake date, which will allow Laurie to get over the gossip and pain of her ex, and Jamie to prove to their bosses that he has what it takes to become partner and tha...

Hi Friends! Since when did July just creep up on us like this?! It just means one month closer to be finished with this Stephen King novel of a year.  June started off pretty well in regards to my reads. I was rating pretty high and then took a dip and books became "meh" and finished off the month as meh and feeling myself slowly descending into a reading slump. I seriously have three books going right now because I cannot figure out what I am looking for to get me out of this slump.  Some of my reading was dedicated to authors and characters of color, which was really great and educational for me and also got some good books that were on my shelf waiting to be read for way too long.  For June I read a total of 16 books (4 E-books and 12 physical).  STATS: Pages: 3,437 2-Star Reads: 1 3-Star Reads: 6 4-Star Reads: 3 5-Star Reads: 6 Favorites: 4 Shortest Book: I Am More Than A Daydream (74 pages) Longest Book: 28 Summers (417 pages) GENRE BREAKDOWN: 6 YA 3 Adult Roman...

I am a huge Disney fan and have been wanting to read the Twisted Tales  series for the longest time. I just kept buying them as they came out, telling myself I would pick them up eventually and give my Disney heart something to sing about. I FINALLY picked up the first installment of the series, which happens to be a re-telling of my FAVORITE Disney movie; Aladdin.  A Whole New World is a twist on the class (and best) Disney film. In this version, Jafar gets, and keeps, the lamp after Aladdin retrieves it, locking Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders. What ensues is a hell of a lot of chaos and Jafar takes on as the new, and very evil, Sultan of Agrabah.  The first 75 pages or so is a direct copy of the Aladdin movie from 1992. It is literally the movie word for word, which caused a lot of people to DNF. However, if you keep reading, you will see how the story drastically changes from the loved cartoon.  There were a few things that this story brought that was interesting ...

Hi Friends! Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read Kim Johnson's debut This is My America prior to it's July 28th release date. The entire time I was reading this, the song my Childish Gambino "This Is America" was playing in my head. Wow. This book was powerful and very, very relevant to today's world.  The story follows our main character Tracy as she is trying to get her father's case appealed, nine months before he is executed for his role in a double murder. While she is working to prove his innocence, her track star brother Jamal is accused of murdering the most popular girl (who is conveniently White) one  night.  The story then takes off and tackles the subject of Black Lives Matter and the racial injustices that Black people face when it comes to police and the criminal justice system.  This book was a work of fiction, but it felt so real at the same time because the things that were happening to our characters are truly happening in today...

Hi Friends! If You Only Knew is a romance that is a lot different than other romances out there, especially the ones that I tend to flock to.  This story follows our two main characters Tessa and Corey, each chapter alternating between their POV's. Corey was just released from jail, for a crime he took blame for and didn't commit, and ends up vandalizing the house of the attorney who gave him a plea deal, who is also the father of Tessa. Tessa is a "bad girl" and lives for her motorcycle with secrets of her own that are eating at her conscience. When Corey ends up working for Tessa's dad on a project, Corey and Tessa end up spending a lot more time together than they planned. This romance is a slow burn, and a good slow burn at that.  I liked this romance because the characters were imperfect and had to work through their own struggles, while coming together and helping one another with their issues. Corey has a terrible past and is in a life that he is desperate ...

Hi Friends! Wow. I just finished Elin Hilderbrand (my favorite author)'s new book and I am shook. I am speechless. I do not even know how to go on from this. I sense a serious book hangover in my future.  I just wanted more but at the same time, this book was SO satisfying.  28 Summers follows our two main characters, Mallory and Jake. Mallory is Cooper's little sister and Cooper is one of Jake's best friends. The story starts with Mallory's son Link calling Jake (in 2020) up to let him know that Mallory is dying and he tells Link that he will be there as soon as he can. We then go to 1993 (Summer #1) and progress through yes, 28 summers and 28 years (leading to 2020) and see how Mallory and Cooper are each other's Same Time, Next Year and spend one weekend together each year.  What a freaking concept. Of COURSE I wanted Jake and Mallory to be together the other 362 days of the year, but if that were to happen then we wouldn't have a story would we? Each summe...

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Hi Friends! Today I am reviewing another e-ARC that was kindly given to me from NetGalley! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review Brandy Colbert's new tale, The Voting Booth  prior to it's July 7th release date.  *This review and opinions are my own*  This story follows our two main characters, Marva and Duke. Marva has been canvassing for the upcoming election and is first in line of Election day. When she is there, Duke is trying to vote and is being told he cannot and his voting place has changed. Feeling defeated, he leaves and Marva stops him and promises to help him vote before the day is done. The story then follows our two characters as they try to get Duke to vote, and then Marva's cat goes missing so they work together to find her cat, who is also Instagram famous.  This book sounds cute, and I am not saying that it wasn't because the ending was, but I had a lot of issues with the story itself. First off, it takes place during a 24-hour time span. Usu...

Hi friends! Today I have another review for my #BlackLivesMatter reading! I have been dedicating my time to reading more books by authors of color, featuring characters of color so that I can better educate myself and be a proper ally.  And this book that I just finished? It was SO SO cool. A debut novel that should seriously be talked about more and is highly underrated! And that is.... SLAY  by Brittney Morris.  This book follows our main character, Keira, who is a senior in a predominatly White high school, where her and her sister Steph are two of the four Black people in the entire school. One of the other Black people is Keira's boyfriend Malcolm who is an advocate for Black Excellence and being righted for all the wrongs that Black individuals have faced over the years. By day, Keira is a regular student, trying to graduate and go to the best college. By night, she is the creator and developer of an MMORPG game called Slay, that inspires Black Excellence and Black...

Hi Friends! I really hit the JACKPOT with the book I just read (ha, ha... do you see what I did there?) As mentioned in an earlier post this month, in honor of the  Black Lives Matter  movement , I am reading books involving characters of color, by authors of color, so that I can educate myself. This book I am about to discuss was a fun ride and written by one of my favorite authors of color, Nic Stone! The book? Jackpot.  Jackpot follows our two main characters, Rico (girl) and Zan. Rico is a black female who lives in a run-down apartment with her mother and her younger brother. Rico works while she is finishing up high school, so that she can help her mama pay off the bills including rent and electricity. She doesn't know what it's like to have money and dreams of winning the lottery. One day, while she is working, she sells a lottery ticket to an elderly woman, who buys Rico a ticket as well and has her choose which ticket. It turns out later that a ticket from her st...

Hi Friends! Today I have another NetGalley review for you!  Thank you to NetGalley for an e-Arc of Sophie Ranald's newest release, Just Saying, coming out on July 3. "I almost gave up on love. My ex, who called his private parts ‘Nigel’, was enough to put me off men forever. But then I met Joe. "   Yes, that is the exact quote from the book and what caught my attention, making me want to pick this story up! This follows our main character Alice, who resides with her boyfriend Joe. She considers him to be "the one" and their life is pretty much perfect... until it isn't. When Joe asks his ex, Zoe, to move in since she is homeless and has no where to go, Alice reluctantly agrees and starts to second guess Zoe's intentions and if her relationship really is as good and secure as it seems. This book was fun! I liked the main story line and how there were other story lines weaving into it. I thought that Alice was a really passionate character. She was also r...

Hi friends!  Today I am back with another BOTM book review!  I recently added Jennifer Weiner's new novel, Big Summer  to my June box. This was a selection offered in May but it sold out so fast, and it really had some rave reviews. So of course, I succumbed to the hype and decided to pick it up. My best friend also added it on to her box and my mom had won an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) so we decided to try doing a three-way buddy read.  Man guys, I don't even know where to start. This book had a LOT of hype and really didn't meet it's mark for me. Several times while reading it, I thought to myself, I could be reading so many other books right now. But before I get into THAT, let me start off by telling you all what this novel is about. Big Summer  follows our main characters Daphne and Drue. Two "best" friends who are very, very different. Daphne is a plus-sized Instagram influencer, trying to encourage women around the world to admire their bodies, ju...

Hi Friends! I support #BLM (Black Lives Matter) and the movement that is occurring in our country right now in response to George Floyd's murder. As a white female, I recognize that I have privileges that my friends of color do not have. In order to increase my understanding and education, I have dedicated this month to reading books on my TBR that deal with race, and are written by authors of color. My hope is that through literature I can understand more of the struggles that those of color face, and educate myself.  The book that I started with is a debut novel that came out in 2019, and was a pick of mine from Book of the Month. That book is Color Me In by Natasha Diaz.  I want to start by saying that I enjoyed Ms. Diaz's author's note in the back of the book as she spoke about being a biracial woman herself, the struggles she has faced and how she feels she cannot remain silent. A quote from that portion that stuck out to me was:  "I wanted to talk about how thes...

Hi Friends! So today I wanted to share my June Book of the Month (BOTM) haul! BOTM is a monthly subscription of $14.99 a month that gets you one hardcover book of your choice. My fellow bookworms know that a hardcover book, especially new releases, can be quite expensive! Each month you get 5 books to choose from, alternating between several different genres. If you don't like any of the picks you are able to skip a month with no penalty! If there is more than one book that you want, or maybe you want a previous month's pick, you can add-on two books for $10 each (again, hardcovers)! If it is your FIRST time using BOTM, you can use the code SUN5 to be able to get your first box for $9.99! For my box I picked TWO June picks one ONE May pick!  The book that I chose for my June box was: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager!

Hi Friends!  Today I have for you, a review of a domestic thriller that I just finished and DEVOURED. A short book at 302 pages, a book that needs to be talked about and discussed. The Last Flight  by Julie Clark releases on June 23, 2020 and was a Book of the Month pick for the month of June. Intrigued by the cover and title, I quickly looked it up on Goodreads to see the synopsis and instantly wanted to know more. This novel follows our two main characters, Eva and Claire, who are both running from something. Claire is the wife of upcoming politician, Rory Cook, and her life seems perfect; at least from the outside. What people don't know is that behind closed doors, Claire's life is less than perfect and Rory is actually a hot-headed husband who likes to hit. Eva is a woman on the other side of the country who got herself into a situation and needs to get out of it fast.. and alive. These two women meet at the airport and switch flights. Claire takes Eva's flight to Oakl...

Hi friends! I am back with another Netgalley Review, and this one is going to be a short one because I DNF'ed at 5%. (DNF = Did Not Finish) Yes. I know what you're thinking; how did she DNF when she was only 5% in?  I simply did this because the first three chapters did not catch my interest and I felt like I was wasting my time, when I could be reading another book in my long and never-ending TBR.  The book that I am talking about? Well that's Times Like These  by Laura Carter, due to be released on June 29, 2020. I wanted this book on Netgalley because the cover is cute, the title is catchy, and it's in Women's Fiction (one of my new favorite genres). This book follows four women: Sophia, Hannah, Rosalie, & Andrea. Within the first two pages, literally, we are introduced to our four main ladies along with three or four other characters and it got confusing really quickly. All I know is that Sophia and Andrea are sisters, and Hannah has been best friends with A...

Hi friends, welcome back! Today I have another fun, romance review, for a book that quickly made it's way to my favorites list for the year because of it's originality. That book is Ghosting: A Love Story by Tash Skilton.  Fun fact? Tash Skilton is a pen-name for two female friends who are writers (hello Christina Lauren).  Ghosting: A Love Story  is a fun and original read, leading us into the real-world of dating as well as the 'fake' world of dating through online profiles (watch out Tinder!) This story follows our two main characters, Zoey and Miles, who get off to the wrong start (but of course, this is a romantic comedy after all) when they run into each other at a cafe hot spot, both fighting over the day-old Biscotti and a very large table that is situated by the window. Zoey and Miles are both ghost-writers for rival online dating companies, whose CEO's were once married. One day, Zoey and Miles start chatting, pretending to be their assigned clients who co...

Hey friends, today I have for you another NetGalley review! So I recently joined Net Galley and in order to get my approval rate up, I chose a couple books in the "read now" section, one being a new release in May called Making Turquoise  by Claire McFall. This book opens up with a classic murder scene and the question of whodunit. Callum Thomson is found murdered at his 21st birthday party, that he shares with his twin sister Hayley. The two suspects are none other than the McGaffney brothers, Liam and Aiden.  Aiden has a history of being a big, fat bully and drug addict who loves to fight. Liam is Hayley's old lover, and old friend. So why would they murder Callum? This book transports us through the different ages of our four main characters, starting at 11 years old and ending at 21. Each chapter is a different age and we learn how the four of them are connected, and what happens that year that affects all four of them.  This book is dark. There is no happy ending to ...